Existing small unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are presently limited to speeds of less than about 6 mph. Such limited speed capabilities can be undesirable when the UGV must be driven a long distance to a target or when time is of the essence in an operation. Further, existing UGV implementations may be difficult to control at high speeds. For example, existing small UGVs need to steer around obstacles that larger vehicles could simply driver over. In addition, a bump that would typically be absorbed by a large vehicle's suspension can send a small, fast-moving UGV flying into the air.
In certain instances, the cleated (high traction) tracks currently used on many small UGVs drain a great deal of power when trying to operate the UGV at increased speeds. Detracking (tracks separating from their associated drive bus (also referred to as pulleys)) can also become possible at high speeds. However, the tracks found on many UGVs provide a desirable stability and ability to climb large obstacles and stairs. Flippers, which are commonly found on such UGVs, are also desirable because they provide an increased forward offset for articulated platforms.
For remote vehicle's having articulated platforms such as manipulator arms used in EOD operations, which can change a center of mass of the remote vehicle as they are added to the remote vehicle and/or move with respect to the remote vehicle, high-speed driving ability and/or stability can be affected by any resulting change in the vehicle's center of mass.
When a vehicle oversteers, its rear tires lose traction before the front tires, which can cause the vehicle to turn more than commanded. Vehicles with more weight on the rear wheels tend to oversteer more easily. When a vehicle understeers, its front tires lose traction before its rear tires, causing the vehicle to turn less than commanded. Vehicles with more weight on the front wheels tend to understeer more easily. Vehicles having roughly equal weight over both axles tend to have more neutral handling, meaning that they are less likely to understeer and oversteer, and that either oversteer or understeer can be based on control inputs. Understeer is almost always undesirable, whereas skilled drivers can utilize oversteer to take turns faster than otherwise possible. Using oversteer advantageously, a driver can intentionally cause the rear wheels of a vehicle to break free and slide, steer toward an exit point of the curve, and then hit the throttle to break out of the slide. Done properly, this technique allows a vehicle to maintain a higher speed through a turn.